Brining vs. Dry salting.

[jwalker]

I made a cheese that called for brining it , after making it I realized I didn't have enought salt to make a brine , so I dry salted it.

It was a Caerphilly and called for  12-24 hrs in a brine , how would I go about dry salting it , I have been salting it once a day for three days with about a teaspoon each time , is that enough , or too much?

I will make sure I have a brine in the future , but for now , will this work ?

[Hansadutta]

Hi Jim,

I used a different recipe. It does not use brine but it mixes the salt with the curds before pressing. The recipe mentions 2 tablespoons salt for 2 gallons of milk. I hope that this is any help.
Hans

[Tiarella]

There are three different Caerphilly cheese recipes (with photos or videos)  at www.cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com. And click on "Caerphilly" in the list of cheeses on the right hand column. 

[jwalker]

Thanks for the replies and thanks for the link Tia , it seems it is a matter of choice.

I feel better about it now.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Salting a cheese prior to pressing puts the brakes on the bacteria and slows down acidification. Theoretically, you get the cheese close to your desired pH prior to salting. By comparison a cheese that is pressed and then brined has a much longer time to continue to produce acid. And the salt from brining takes quite a while to equalize and reach the body of the cheese, so interior salt concentration is much less.

The upshot is - all other elements being equal, a Caerphilly that is brined will be "tangier" (because of the acidic bite) than one that is salted before pressing. Especially when eaten young.

[Hansadutta]

Sailor,
I am going to memorize all your 2,428 posts. Did you write a book perhaps? I would buy it even if it was not about cheese
Hans